How to decrypt multiple pdf files using qpdf?

Question

I have some n number of pdf files which are SECURED( i.e not password secured, but owner secured). I was able to decrypt single pdf at a time using _ "qpdf --decrypt Input.pdf Output.pdf" from Cmd Promt in Windows. can you help me to do the same with multiple pdf's using batch file or from cmd prompt.

Answer 1

If you just want to run the command from the shell (cmd.exe), you can do something like this from the directory containing the PDFs:

for %a in ("*.pdf") do "c:\Programs\qpdf\bin\qpdf.exe" --decrypt "%a" "%~dpna.decrypted.pdf"

Answer 2

@echo off

    setlocal enableextensions disabledelayedexpansion

    if not exist output\ md output
    for %%a in (*.pdf) do qpdf --decrypt "%%~fa" "output\%%~nxa"

Create an output folder under current directory. Then for each pdf in current folder call qpdf to decrypt, passing as argument the full path of the input file (%%~fa) and the output file, that is, the output folder followed by the name and extension of the file being processed (%%~nxa)

Answer 3

#!/bin/bash
# unprotect multiple pdf files in a directory with qpdf 10Jan20
# run the script from the same directory as the files
if [ -d output ];
then
    echo "output directory exists"
else
    mkdir output
fi


yourfilenames=`ls *.pdf`
#echo yourfilenames
for eachfile in $yourfilenames
do
   echo $eachfile
    qpdf --decrypt $eachfile    output/$eachfile
done

Answer 4

Try this: Place all the pdfs in one folder and navigate with cmd prompt to that folder. Execute the following commands:

mkdir output
qpdf --decrypt *.pdf output/*.pdf

Answer 5

Just use the following command line statement:

for %a in ("*.pdf") do qpdf --decrypt "%a" "%~dpna.decrypted.pdf"

with an elevated command prompt from outside the usual qpdf folder BIN folder.

Before that put copies of all your locked PDF files inside the BIN folder and run the command line statement.

You will get unlocked files with the "original filename" + ".decrypted.pdf" extension. SEARCH for "decrypted" in file manager while inside the BIN folder and copy paste all those file into a known location. You can use "BULK RENAME Utility" to intelligently rename the set of PDF files or remove the "decrypted" part addition to the new file .